The Leflore County Emergency Food and Shelter Program has recently been awarded $17,476 in funds to help those in need.
The program, which was started in the early 1980s, has become a critical component in helping people facing food, rent and nutritional needs, said Pann Powers, chairman of the Leflore County Emergency Food and Shelter Program Board of Directors.
“We provide a month’s worth of rent or a house payment, if they have been threatened with eviction,” Powers said.
The financial assistance is limited to one 30-day period, giving recipients time to make other arrangements, she said.
“We’re real late in getting our allocation because Congress has been real late in getting a budget out,” Powers said.
The board — which includes member agencies such as Beacon Harbor, the Leflore County Chapter of the Fuller Center for Housing and the Leflore County Chapter of the American Red Cross — partners with the Salvation Army, the Community Food Pantry and Greenwood Interfaith Ministries’ Community Kitchen.
The Salvation Army handles rent and utility payments, the pantry supplies food and the kitchen provides cooked meals.
Powers said families can contact any of the three supporting agencies and will be referred to the appropriate arm.
In the case of eviction or the imminent loss of utilities, she said, the family must supply a copy of the eviction or cutoff notice before any action can be taken.
“We contact the landlord or utility company and say we can pay for one month,” Powers said.
The Emergency Food and Shelter Board is seeking other interested community-based non-profit groups for inclusion in its outreach efforts. To that end, a board meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at the Community Kitchen at 200 E. Johnson St.
In order to qualify for inclusion an agency must be a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that already provides food, rent or utilities assistance.
Powers said this year’s allocation is based upon the total number of unemployed people in Leflore County compared to the total number in other qualifying jurisdictions.
The program originated as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is now run by the National Emergency Food and Shelter Program based in Alexandria, Va.
For more information on the Leflore County Emergency Food and Shelter Program, call Powers at 453-6057.
• Contact Bob Darden at bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
